This invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus which performs a recording and reproducing operation at a different speed for each recording track.
There are some recording and reproducing apparatus such as a tape recorder in which the recording and reproducing speed can be selectively set at various operation speeds, for example, at two operation speeds including a low speed of 1.2 cm/sec. and a high speed of 2.4 cm/sec.
With such a tape recorder, it is gernerally unclear at what speed the tape has been recorded. Therefore, in order to correctly reproduce sound signal recorded on the tape, it is necessary to carry out a trial and error method by driving the tape at a given tape speed to find at what speed the tape should be reproduced. When the normal sound is heard at a certain tape speed, the tape speed is understood to be the required reproducing speed and then the reproducing speed can be set to continue the reproducing operation.
Thus, it is extremely troublesome to correctly select the required tape speed for reproduction. As described above, it is possible to detect the correct tape speed when voice or sound is recorded on the tape. However, when the signal recorded on the tape is not sound signal but, for example, an analog data signal, it is extremely difficult to detect the required tape speed and a correct data signal is not obtained when the tape is driven for reproduction at a speed other than the tape speed at which the tape is recorded.